My Little Pony: Worker Birds
Chapter 4: Reach for the Skies
With our work done and the cellar all ready, it was time for the building to take shape. We waited with our machines outside the worksite when the cranes and building machines came in. Two 1986 American 7260 crawler cranes came off the trailers. From one of the cabs came an operator, "Hi there ladies, Lattice Boom's the name,"
"Nice work you ladies did on the cellar," He complimented, with a nod of approval at our work
"Thank you, but we could not have done it without Rivet, Jackhammer, and Long Haul," I replied,
"Aww...shucks, weren't nothin'," said Rivet with a blushing smile, I nudged him lightly in the side,
"Well, we better get started," said Lattice Boom, he is a handsome and strong looking stallion, much like Big Macintosh in a way. Our job now was to remove all the dirt and rock we scooped up from the cellar and make way for the parking lot. The cement trucks and concrete pumpers were also being called in as the cranes were setting up.
"Wow, look at that," said Gabby in awe of the crane's height as it was going up
"I know, you'd think a giraffe would be jealous," joked Gilda, nudging Gabby lightly in the wing,
"Probably, but we have our own work to do today," I reminded them,
A pounding roar echoed off in the distance. The crane crews had just set up the piledriver, and it was doing it's work setting up the support structure for the building. Our shovels and trucks, with the help of graders, compacters and bulldozers, were removing the dirt and flattening out the surface so it is nice and solid for the pavers.
"Digging in the dirt! Digging in the dirt!" Gabby cheered,
"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, eh Gabby?" I radioed to her, I was back in the Northwest 100DH,
"I like to stay on the bright side of things," she said with a wink,
Lattice Boom seems like a nice fellow and seems to enjoy his work. He is as grey as slate with brown eyes and a black mane and tail like me minus the mane part. His cutie mark is two crossed crane booms, how appropriate. Some say it can never work. That hippogriffs, griffons and ponies can never be friends. We make it work everyday.
"So...what do you ladies do away from the site?" asked Rivet,
"Work out, hang out, that kind of stuff," Gilda replied as a scoop of dirt came from the hydraulic excavator,
"We like to swim, fly, and generally keep in shape," added Gabby,
As I filled each truck in line one by one, I was thinking about other equipment we will need around our headquarters. We were all set in the department of a shovel and dump trucks. There was an ad online about a 2000 Peterbilt 379 with a sleeper with headache rack and storage, a knuckle boom crane, 290 inch wheelbase and a good 600hp.
'That would be helpful in hauling the shovel around' I thought to myself,
The horn sounded the end of the shift, "Good work today, girls," I said ruffling Gilda and Gabby's heads,
"Every day is a good day," said Gabby as we packed up to head home for the day,
I wanted to keep the new rig a surprise for the ladies, 'Don't hold off for tomorrow what you can't do today,' I thought to myself with a grin, pulling out my phone from my leather belt and finalizing the purchase of the 2000 Peterbilt which also comes with an oversize load trailer. I thought the chrome around the windows is a nice touch.
I closed the phone just in time as Gabby peered over my wing, "Whatcha lookin at?"
"Just checking my email," I half-lied, I got the purchase conformation email right as I closed the browser,
"Ah...I was wondering if we can order a pizza when we get back?" Gabby asked,
"Sounds like a plan," I replied with a willing grin, and earning a unison 'yay!' from Gabby and Gilda. They are so cute when they are happy. I picked up the phone as the two of them went upstairs. I looked up a local pizza place and dialed, "Hello, I would like to place an order for delivery...I would like a large Manehatten style hoof-tossed,"
Gabby called down from the upstairs, "Can I have mushrooms please?" said Gabby,
"And bacon too," added Gilda, I nodded lightly seeing Gretchen peering from the corner upstairs,
"Okay, so we will have mushrooms, bacon, and can I add pesto and garlic," I said back on the phone,
The mare on the other line said it will be at our place in forty-five minutes, "Alright, I will see you then," I said and hung up the phone. I went up the stairs with a grin on my beak, and wrestled around with Gabby and Gilda in the guest room. It warmed my heart to see and hear them laugh and enjoy what they do on and away from the site.
There is one thing my claws are great at, and I give the best tickles, "Stop! Stop!" Gabby pleaded in laughter,
"Alright, enough is enough," I said, breathing heavily from all the fun and energy these two have,
"You're the best, Heloise," said Gilda, seeming to have enjoyed herself as much as Gabby did,
"And you two...are the sisters I never had in my life," I said booping each of them on the beak. I think they will like the surprise I have in store for them. The rig will arrive in a week with the lowboy trailer. For now, the one thing to look forward to is thin crust pizza. I am so glad to help them out. To me, Gabby and Gilda are family to me.